The Davey Consort CIO Annual Report for Year Ending 31[st] December 2022.
2022 provided professional Musicians generally an opportunity to rebuild their careers after the Covid pandemic and inevitably that necessity impacted the activity of Davey Consort CIO.
In 2023 the trustees have gradually re-focused on the Davey Consort ‘s long-term charitable objects.
Objectives:
To meet the educational and outreach ambitions of the CIO it was necessary first to raise sufficient funds to acquire the 13.5 rank instrument which had been commissioned from Master Organ builder, Bernard Aubertin and install it in the home of the consort, the recently restored, Wardell, Grade II Listed, Church of St Birinus in Dorchester on Thames. In 2021 the organ was finally installed in St Birinus. Settling the instrument took rather longer than scoped and this was further complicated by the decision of Bernard Aubertin to retire and close his workshop.
The trustees had previously identified a grant scheme sponsored by the Department of Culture, Media & Sports for which CIO organ project seemed to be eligible. Discussions with the Listed Places of Worship Scheme (LPOWS) led trustees to conclude the Aubertin Organ VAT costs would be eligible for and wholly covered by a grant. After the import of the organ and payment of the VAT, the CIO made an application to the LPOWS. This proved successful and consequently we received £64k in respect of recovered VAT. The application was supported by the parish of St Birinus and consequently, trustees donated £3k to the parish of St Birinus for its assistance in recovering the VAT via this scheme.
The Davey Consort ‘s established reliable programme of sacred music at St Birinus each Sunday and on each major feast continued through 2022 and into 2023. Music continues to blend plainchant with sacred polyphony but now we have the organ it is envisaged that the range of music includes baroque organ masses and other rarely played instrumental music as a general accompaniment to Mass. Our archivist, Francis Bevan has been transcribing many works by Palestrina which have previously neglected. These have formed a core part of the programme of music for 2022-3. Continued emphasis is also placed on English composers of the period including Parsons, Tallis and Byrd.
The pandemic and its aftermath made it difficult to organise a complementary programme of public concerts. However, with some planning in 2022 we have achieved an inaugural St Birinus Music Festival in 2023 – both at Dorchester Abbey and at the church of St Birinus itself. This begins to meet the CIO’s objective to bring world class performance of sacred music to a wider non-denominational audience in the South Oxfordshire area.
In order to sustain both music on Sundays and the Festival, the trustees believe it necessary to establish both vocal and organ scholarships and then establish a program of wider educational outreach. These educational objects remain at the heart of the Davey Consort’s endeavour to create a centre of excellence for the performance of sacred music primarily in the context of Catholic liturgy and but also in other settings accessible to the wider community.
To take forward the Davey Consort’s ambitious mission, widening and deepening the trustee base remains a priority. In 2023 we will be adding three new trustees to the CIO body and also we have had additional patrons: The Earl and Countess of St Andrews; Sir James MacMillan, Sir Stephen Hough and Mr and Mrs Birch Reynardson.
Activities:
Music for Sunday Mass as noted includes a range of Renaissance polyphony. Gregorian chant and Renaissance polyphony form the core of Davey Consort repertoire but with our newly installed organ we have also featured works by Charpentier, Mozart and Haydn in recent times.
The Consort fully realises both the spiritual and artistic intent of these composers, by offering a unique opportunity for worshippers and a wider public, including artists, students of liturgy and Christian worship and historians, to experience this sacred music in its fullest integrity of religious expression. We have also kept the performance archive of live steams during lockdowns.
We are founding a Children’s choir.
The Aubertin Organ:
The Aubertin Organ is now enabling our vision for a world class music repertoire of the Davey Consort to be realised. Its installation in late 2021 immediately aroused wide interest amongst the community of organists. However, settling the instrument before final modifications by Aubertin means recitals and concerts a will only become a full reality in 2024. However, we now have a number of organists who play at St Birinus including Robert Quinney and Matthew Martin.
Achievements and Performance:
Trustees have compiled and updated the Foundation document that sets out a vision for the future of the Davey Consort. Special priority for Safeguarding policy and other matters of practice related to management of singers of potential scholars continue to be a priority for the trustees.
It has developed polices for Scholarships and their award.
It has made approaches to a wide range of music and arts bodies including successful applications to the Portman, Garfield Weston Foundation and Backstage Trust.
We now seek to build a relationship with new donors to take forward the ambitious project for Phase II which includes building a state-of-the-art rehearsal space and an archive which will not only house the CIO’s growing library but will form a permanent home for the valuable archive of renowned musicologist Dr Mary Berry who has played a decisive role preserving singing of plainchant.
Trustees have preliminary agreement that both these will be located within in the parish demesne of St Birinus Dorchesteron-Thames. Thus, the hardest problem of acquiring suitable land has already been met in principle. Trustees have commissioned a design and preliminary planning work together with an initial budget, as the basis for the next phase of fundraising.
As the entire demesne is listed, we have sought Pre-planning which was recently agreed with South Oxfordshire District Council.
Our music programme is now attracting new and regular parishioners.
The Davey Consort will also continue to build links into the wider county - for example by partnering with Oxford County Council Library Service or by partnering with schools and other educational resources. It is also considering a pilot to bring music into Huntercombe Prison which has a high number of Catholics. Some of these ambitions will rest on a scholarship programme.
The future -
The CIO sustained momentum in 2022 and secured sufficient funds to pay for the Aubertin organ. We have installed the Aubertin organ and raised funds to cover VAT liabilities.
The CIO has demonstrated a continuing capacity to engage effectively with donors and to share its vision. As a consequence, it has now been able to attract both new trustees and significant new patrons who are able to share this vision more widely and attract new supporters.
The future rests on building on this, by launching both a successful friends and supporters base to cover running costs of the choir; establishing scholarships and developing a wider educational and performance remit, these now require trustees to raise funds for proper rehearsal space and equally space for the archive which must include that of Mary Berry. These a central to the work of the next few years.
With these, and a sufficient endowment to cover scholarships and modest but essential administration needs, the Davey Consort will be set fair to meet all of its charitable objects on an ongoing basis. Trustees believe the new St Birinus Festival will also help attract young singers and instrumentalists.
The ambitions to fund to scholarships, and provide a new archive and rehearsal space, must be undergirded by strong financial controls. All future works must have costs underwritten by grants or donations. They can proceed only once fully funded.
The charitable objectives still require much from trustees. However, we have secured notable success in the most troubled of circumstances. That success makes it possible to be pragmatically optimistic for the CIO’s long-term future.
John Murphy Chair The Davey Consort CIO Michaelmas Day 2023
Davey Consort CIO Receipts & Payments Accounts For the year ended 31[st] December 2022
Receipts & Payments
| Receipts Year to 31.12. 22 £ Year to 31.12.21 £ Fundraising 1,065 115,500 Grants (Note 1) 61,00 0 - Gift Aid - 3,003 Choir (Friends) 990 5,503 Concerts & festival - - Total Receipts 63,05 5 124,00 6 |
Payments Year to 31.12. 22 £ Year to 31.12. 21 £ |
|---|---|
| Choir 10,80 7 11,06 0 Concerts/pilgrimage - - Administration & printing 347 4,488 Legal & Professional fees 1,550 435 Maintenance of equipment/instruments 384 2,856 Asset and investment purchases Organ prepayment - 100,5 45 |
|
| Total Payments 17,26 8 119,3 83 |
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Cash Funds at eriod end 55,30 9,521
2: Statement of Assets & Liabilities
| Assets | £ |
|---|---|
| Aubertin Organ (Note 2) | 319,650 |
| Transcribed Music | 2,000 |
| Harpsichord | 500 |
| Clavichord | 500 |
| Streaming Equipment | 1,650 |
| Cash funds | 55,308 |
| Total Assets | 443,60 |
| 7 | |
| Signed on behalf of the | |
| Trustees: |
| Liabilities | £ |
|---|---|
| Organ outstanding balance | 23,818 |
| (Note 2) |
| Total Liabilities | 23,81 |
|---|---|
| 8 | |
| Date of approval: 25thOctober | |
| 2023 |
Print name: John Murphy Chair
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Date of approval: 25[th] October 2023
Print name: Francis Bevan Treasurer
Notes
1. Grants
As at 31 December 2022, payments had been made by the Davey Consort CIO of £283,649 for the purchase of a pipe organ from master organ maker Bernard Aubertin; the amount paid included VAT on import of £64,000. The Consort made a successful application to the Listed Place or Worship Scheme (“LPOWS”) to reclaim the VAT and £64,004.22 was awarded and received by the Consort in January 2022. £3,000 was gifted to the parish for its assistance in the LPOWS application and VAT recovery, and the net receipt of £61,000 is recognised in these accounts.
2. Aubertin Organ
The asset value of the Aubertin organ purchased by the consort has been updated in this year’s accounts to reflect a £100,000 payment made by Father John Osman prior to the establishment of the Consort for the organ direct to Bernard Aubertin. The total cost of the organ at the outset of the project was EUR 376,500. Since the 15-month period ended 31.12.2019 the Consort has made further payments totalling £219,000, plus £64,000 for VAT on import which has been paid back by the LPOWS grant detailed in Note 1. The outstanding balance as at 31.12.2022 has been settled in 2023 from the available cash funds.
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Davey Consort CIO
Independent Examination Review – y/e 31 December 2022 October 2023
Direction 1: Check whether the charity is eligible to have an independent examination
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Receipts in accounts show gross income is £66,055 for the period, which is less than the threshold of £250,000 which requires an audit rather than an independent -
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examination (source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent examination-of-charity-accounts-trustees-cc31/independent-examination-of-charityaccounts-trustees)
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The charity is a registered CIO (number 1180917), confirmed by looking up the Charity Commission register
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The charity is not a company, and has no subsidiaries
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The charity’s constitution doesn’t require an audit (or accruals accounting)
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There is no other known reason that an audit is required
Conclusion : the Davey Consort CIO is eligible to have an independent examination and is also eligible to prepare receipts and payments accounts.
Direction 2: Check for any conflict of interest that prevents the examiner from carrying out their independent examination
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There are no close personal relationships with the trustees that compromise independence
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The Examiner has no day-to-day involvement in the administration of the charity
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There are no cirucmstances in the examiner’s judgment that would reasonably lead to the perception that the examiner is not independent
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The Examiner holds an ACA qualification and is a member of the ICAEW, so has the necessary skills to carry out the examination
Conclusion : there is no conflict of interest preventing the examiner from carrying out their independent examination
Direction 3: Record your independent examination
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Examiner appointment confirmed by email by Trustees on 9[th] October 2020, minuted and copy kept on electronic file
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Note above on lack of audit requirement and Examiner qualifications under Directions 1 & 2
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See Direction 11 for analytical review
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Areas of clarification have been resolved via email with Chair John Murphy and newly appointed Treasurer Francis Bevan
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See Direction 6 for verification and vouching carried out
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Annual report kept on electronic file
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Information relied upon includes bank statements, accounting records, minutes and original receipts & invoices, all either via email or saved on electronic file by Examiner
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- See Direction 13 for conclusions
Direction 4: Plan your independent examination
- This year the accounts have been prepared by the Treasurer, and so the planning has been adapted accordingly
Direction 5: Check that accounting records are kept to the required standard
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This year, the bank statement has been downloaded into excel and all receipts and payments categorized by receipt or expense type, then linked to the charity accounts; only minor format changes have been made
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The accounting records are readily available and were provided for the review immediately on request
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The accounts provide enough information to understand the activities of the charity and its financial position, and its finances can be understood at any point during and at the end of the financial period
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There is supporting documentation for all significant transactions, the opening balance ties to last year’s accounts, and the receipts & expenses are all consistent with the charity’s ongoing activities
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There isn’t currently a fixed asset register
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Fundraising activity comprises personal donations in the period, and is markedly less than prior years due to the organ project concluding
Conclusion : accounts and accounting records are kept to the required standard for a charity of this size.
Direction 6: Check that the accounts are consistent with the accounting records
- Accounts checked to accounting records and to bank statements,
Conclusion : accounts are consistent with the accounting records.
Direction 7: If the accounts are prepared on an accruals basis and one or more related party transactions took place the examiner must check if these were properly disclosed in the notes to the accounts Accounts are prepared on a receipts and payments basis. Organ title remains to be novated to the Charity, due to take place now that the organ is fully paid in 2023. At the moment the contract is still in the names of two trustees of the charity which represents a significant related party transaction.
Conclusion : yes there is a significant related party transaction, but it is noted clearly in the accounts and handled appropriately in the management of the charity.
Direction 8: Check the reasonableness of the significant estimates and judgments and accounting policies used in accounting for the types of fund held and in the preparation of the accounts
The accounts are prepared on a receipts and payments basis. The value of the organ – the consort’s most significant asset – is based on the payments made to Aubertin by the Consort to date. There is also an outstanding liability on the organ in Euros, but the fluctuation of exchange rates and amount involved is not considered significant.
Conclusion : estimates are reasonable.
Direction 9: The examiner must check whether the trustees have considered the financial circumstances of the charity at the end of the reporting period and, if the accounts are prepared on an accruals basis, check whether the trustees have made an assessment of the charity’s position as a going concern when approving the accounts
The Trustees have considered the financial circumstances of the charity. There is minuted discussion during the year regarding a £100,000 payment made by a Trustee to the charity for the organ prior to the Consort forming. The Chair has subsequently provided confirmation by email that the payment is a gift to the Consort and will not require repayment.
Conclusion: the Trustees have considered the charity’s position as a going concern and following confirmation that the payment made prior to the Consort’s formation was a gift, there are no other potential liabilities that risk its liquidity.
Direction 10: Check the form and content of the accounts
The form of the accounts has been checked and complies with the suggested template for receipts & payments accounts on the Charity Commission’s website.
Conclusion : the form and content of the accounts meets the requirements for a CIO of this
size.
Direction 11: Identify items from the analytical review of the accounts that need to be followed up for further explanation or evidence
Minutes of Trustee meeting to agree the status of £100,000 trustee payment for the organ on behalf of the Consort, whether it is a gift or loan.
Conclusion : TBC.
Direction 12: Compare the trustees’ annual report with the accounts
The trustees’ annual report gives an introduction to the charity and is consistent with the accounts.
Direction 13: Write and sign the independent examination report
This document forms the independent examination report.
Overall conclusion & recommendations : the charity is maintaining adequate accounting records and has provided sufficient evidence to establish the accounts’ accuracy and completeness.
Signed:
Charlotte Walker (e-sign)
Print Name: Charlotte Walker Date: 10[th] October 2023